GE Renewable Energy today unveiled its new onshore wind turbine 4.8-158, GE’s largest high-efficiency turbine to date. With the largest rotor in the segment and an innovative blade design, it offers a significant improvement in the Annual Energy Production (AEP), reducing the cost of energy in low and medium wind sites.
According to Pete McCabe, President and CEO of GE’s Onshore Wind Business: “The design of wind turbine 4.8-158 represents an important step in the technology and efficiency of turbines, it is optimal for regions around the world with low and medium winds, such as it is the case of Germany, Turkey and Australia, as well as for mechanisms such as auctions, responding to the objectives of reducing the Cost of Energy (LCOE) in which countries around the world have emphasised.”
The new 4.8 MW wind turbine, GE’s first onshore in the 4MW range, is equipped with a 158-metre rotor and has height ranges of up to 240 metres. The combination of a larger rotor and tall towers allows the turbine to take advantage of higher wind speeds and produce more energy.
The new turbine of GE has high technology blades, loads and improved controls, as well as towers higher and competitive in cost. These features have been developed thanks to partnerships with LM Wind Power, Blade Dynamics and GE’s Global Research Center.
The 77-metre-long carbon paddles enhance the innovations of LM Wind Power, with their onshore blades the longest to date. The carbon paddles provide flexibility, which will allow GE to offer its customers a high efficiency product while continuing to reduce the Cost of Energy (LCOE). The blades also have one of the smallest bolt diameters in the industry, keeping manufacturing and logistics costs to a minimum.
“This turbine is a great example of what we can achieve through GE Store, combining technology and development with innovative design and the knowledge of the Global Research Center, LM Wind Power and Blade Dynamics,” added Pete McCabe. “We collected information from more than 30 customers around the world, who work to provide low-cost renewable energy, to ensure that we are responding to their specific needs with this product.”
The 4.8-158 turbine takes advantage of the capabilities of GE’s 2MW and 3MW platforms, including the double-fed induction generator (DFIG) and a robust transmission architecture. The turbine offers lower levels of noise emission, reaching 104 dB during normal operations. The newly designed machine head reduces the need for a larger crane, facilitating repairs higher up the tower and solving problems thanks to its electrical tower system.
GE’s most powerful onshore turbine is designed to take advantage of the intelligence obtained from the fleet of more than 30,000 wind turbines installed by the company. The analysed data of this large installed base feeds the wind turbine 4.8-158 with GE’s latest generation control system. Through the use of GE’s main Predix applications, including Asset Performance Management (APM), Cybersecurity and Business Optimization (BO) solutions, results are obtained such as extending the life cycle and improving productivity.
